Wannabe Hero
by Nintendian
Summary: It wasn't fair. He wanted to be a legend, too! - Max, May.


I like Max, he's cute. This was just something that came to mind, and besides, Max deserves his own story too! :D Haha, enjoy the fic.

_I don't own Pokémon._

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**wannabe hero**

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May was leaving for Sinnoh tomorrow, and Max couldn't sleep tonight.

A few weeks ago, when May had been invited to the famous Wallace Cup in Sinnoh, she was ecstatic. And she'd already made up her mind that her little brother could _not _come. Max tried pleading, begging even, but his older sister wouldn't budge.

_I'm not going to bring you, Max, so stop pestering me. And besides, I only have one ticket._

_Then get another one!_

_I would, but they don't allow guests._

What? _You're kidding me, right?_

But she was already skipping into her bedroom and closing the door on Max, leaving him with his mouth wide open, ready to object.

He had stared at the door sullenly. He'd always wanted to go to Sinnoh, having heard all about the legendary places and exotic Pokémon. _Meanie, _he thought gloomily, making a face at the door to May's bedroom. With that, he had turned and stomped into his own room.

That night, Max slumped on the edge of his bed. His curtains were open and moonlight was pouring into the room, illuminating the walls and floor with its glow, but Max didn't notice. He was staring at the floor, lost in fustration. This was just typical, he knew, because May _always _got to do everything without him just because she was _older. _It was so not fair. The day she'd recieved her Torchic, Max had barely been able to hide the jealousy sweltering inside him. He watched her recieve Ribbon after coveted Ribbon throughout their travels in Hoenn and nearly exploded in rage.

Ash, too! He was lucky he was a real live Pokémon Trainer, which Max longed to become, just like the ones he watched on TV surrounded by their powerful teams. _He _wanted to train the creatures, too! Not be stuck with being everyone's sidekick! (Although, he liked being a know-it-all. He could spout more Pokémon facts than Ash Ketchum could ever dream of.)

Max walked over to his bookshelf and gazed blankly at the plethora of novels, magazines, and textbooks he'd collected over the past few years. Reading always took his mind off problems, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to focus on the familiar words in the books that he'd read exactly twenty-two times. He hesitated and turned away, leaving his room to go downstairs to get a snack.

As he came down the stairs, his eyes instantly focused on the six red-and-white Poké balls that May had left so carelessly lying around on the couch. Before he knew it, Max was already in front of the sofa, his eyes edaciously taking in the sight of the spheres, which were gleaming faintly in the light of the moon. A smile spread across his face then, possibilities charging through his mind.

_If I just take one..._

From downstairs, Max could hear his older sister busy chatting with someone in her room, probably calling Ash or Brock. She was talking about the Wallace Cup, Max could tell, since her voice was high and excited. It made him even more angry because he knew she would have an amazing time there, meet foreign Pokémon and talk to Coordinators from around the world.

And he would be stuck at home.

Fustration fueled him, and his fingers stretched out toward one of May's Poké balls, wanting so badly to feel the smooth surfaces of the spheres that held Pokémon inside. And as he picked one up, he marveled at how powerful he felt by simply holding one of the balls. _Just for tonight, _he told himself.

Max heard May's voice from her room, making eager exclamations, and his heart pounded with envy.

"...Wish Max was coming..."

Wait! His name! May's voice was faint, and the teal-haired boy strained to pick up more, suddenly curious as to why his older sister was talking about him when in fact she could be talking about anything else. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised, but that didn't quench his interest.

"He'd love it! All the new Pokémon... I wish I had another ticket."

Max was so surprised, he didn't even realize that his feet were taking him to the stairs, needing to hear what she would say next. He ran up the staircase until he was right outside her room, leaning against the wall with his ears alert and his heart pounding with anticipation.

But then his older sister said something that made him freeze.

"I'm sorry, Max." Her voice was shaking. "I'll miss you."

Max, next to his sister's bedroom door, breathed in sharply with shock. He'd never expected her to feel sorry for him, of all people. Without meaning to, he bent forward to hear more, but ended up losing his balance and crashing to the floor with a loud thump, knocking the door open. Max froze, all his bones turning to ice. He had to restrain himself from getting the heck out of there. May was going to kill him.

Now that the door was wide open, Max had a clear view inside the bedroom. He flinched, his eyes automatically darting toward his sister. She had jumped up, her hands on her hips and eyes glaring.

"Max!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing out there? _Spying_ on me?"

"I-I—"

"You mean you heard everything I just said?" May's eyes flashed. "Well, I take it back! I won't miss you at all, you little—" She broke off as Max made a run for it, sprinting for the stairs. "Hey! You're not gonna get away that easily!" But there was a twinkle in her eyes as she yelled at her younger brother.

Now safe downstairs, Max collapsed onto the couch, breathing hard. He heard the door upstairs slam and May go back to her conversation, no doubt venting to whoever she was talking to, complaining how her little brother was so annoying sometimes.

He let out an audible sigh of relief, hardly believing his luck. His fingers tightened around the Poké ball, and with a start, Max realized he was still holding the red-and-white sphere. The temptation to test it out was still greater than he could bear, but something told him he shouldn't be stealing his sister's Pokémon when she'd just—more or less—apologized to him. Confused now, Max shrugged and dropped the Poké ball back on the couch, where it truly belonged.

But his mind was working, forming another ingenious plan. May's travelling backpack was lying on the floor randomly, and Max guessed she'd just tossed it there. He moved over and dug out what he was looking for, then crept away, making a beeline for the front door.

With an empty red-and-white sphere clutched in his fingers, a racing heart, and an imagination playing out exciting fantasies, a small teal-haired boy slipped outside into the night, searching for a wild Pokémon.


End file.
